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Copyright Wooster School 2006
11th
Grade
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11TH GRADE ENGLISH
READING:
The Grapes of Wrath,
Catch-22
The Color
Purple
Roark Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, Jonathan Edwards, Cotton Mather -- American Lit. 1600-1750
Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Patrick Henry -- American Lit. 1700-1800, civil disobedience
Hamlet -- The Age of Reason and the Renaissance
Elizabethan sonnets
Edgar Allan Poe
Herman
Ralph W. Emerson, Henry David Thoreau --transcendentalism
Steven Douglass, Martin Luther King--civil disobedience
Jack
Abraham Lincoln, Harper Lee, Turner, Walt Whitman, James R. Lowell, John G. Whittier, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost
Huckleberry
Finn
Eudora Welty, John Steinbeck, F. Scott Fitzgerald -- 20th century American short story, Modernist
William Faulkner, Zora Neal Hurston, Carson McCullers, Momaday -- 20th century prose
The Great Gatsby -- the modern novel
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
To what central values did these writers cling during their trials and tribulations?
What textual clues lead you to your conclusions?
What is the nature of the concrete and visual details that these writers include in their writing?
What rhetorical devices do the authors use in order to advance their ideals?
What constitutes
a just reason for civil disobedience according to
Can we infer
similar sentiments from
In what sense are the reasons justifying the American Revolution based on a religious "faith?"
In the universe of Hamlet, what constitutes a justified revenge and when is revenge not justified?
Into what roles does this play cast women?
What are the freedoms and limits to being true to yourself as an exclusive individual?
What makes a person unconditionally trustworthy?
How do understanding and reason affect action in the play?
What do we learn about "faith," and what effect does it have on the characters in the play?
What criteria must you develop in order to distinguish between the antagonist and the protagonist in the play?
N.B. This line of inquiry helps
explain the inclusion of Hamlet into the 11th grade curriculum, which is
based very intentionally on American literature. Hamlet is one of those rare fictional
characters who is able to act, eventually, according to the cherished
principles of the Age of Reason. In this
way, he can be viewed as a model for the modes of action and philosophy which
the Founding Fathers embraced during their well reasoned acts of civil
disobedience against the British crown
How does the structure of a poem help convey its meaning?
How does the development of symbols, similes, and metaphors help us understand the theme of a poem?
How is the transcendental sense of "faith" different from the "faith" that we have found in earlier works?
How is anti transcendentalism fundamentally similar to transcendentalism?
What fundamental distinction about faith do the two schools of transcendentalism make?
What aspects of freedom (a theme) make civil disobedience absolutely necessary to both Douglass and to Dr. King?
Based on the readings, how would Douglass' and King's definition of injustice compare and differ?
What new values do the characters hold dear?
In a Romantic sense, what gives life beauty and value to the characters and to the stories?
What comparative values do the stories attribute to the human faculties of reason, faith, emotion and physical strength?
What are the various ways that the theme of faith is visited in Huck Finn?
What does it mean to think uncritically in this novel? What about critically?
How do the characters become the stuff of social satire?
What is the author's stance toward his characters?
How can we infer this stance from the details of the text?
How does one detect satire in fiction?
What themes are highlighted by this story, its satirical voice, and its characters?
How can you tell if a book is racist (prejudiced in some way)?
How can you distinguish between protagonist and antagonist?
How is it that Twain can be labeled a "realistic" writer?
The historical background of your issue. Whence can it be traced?
Is the problem specific to a particular group historical period, or place?
What agencies are currently working on the issue (pro and con)?
Who is served or damaged by the possible outcomes that we might arrive at relative to the problem?
What values (pro and con) are at odds over the issue?
Are there clear limits associated with the issue beyond which we simply cannot trespass?
Which values seem to be most responsible as you consider solutions?
How do you go about defining this responsibility?
What solutions are already in place or being tested?
How might a responsible citizen act in the face of this issue?
What qualities make Gatsby great?
Which qualities make Gatsby not so great (tragic)?
What role do the characters assign to "faith?"
On what details and images does Fitzgerald linger?
What mood do these lingerings evoke in this novel?
CRITICAL TERMS:
imagery, aphorism, rhetorical question, allusion, parallelism,ad populum, post hoc ergo propter hoc, ad hominem, ad misericordium, ad ignorantium, characterization, conflict, climax, resolution, simile, metaphor, soliloquy, monologue, aside, dramatic irony, irony, foreshadowing, synecdoche, revenge play, paragraph structure, topic sentence, transitions, explication, evaluation, alliteration, assonance, meter, structure, thesis, antithesis, rhetorical cross hairs, paradox, hyperbole, close readings, evaluation, explication, imagery, persona, lyric poetry, satire, social satire, strawman, ad populum, ad hominum, ad vericundium, symbol
GRAMMAR: parts of speech, the sentence, fragments, phrases, clauses, parallelism
Grammar Smart by The
VOCABULARY
drawn from the literary texts
WRITING:
Short essay: delineation of style and purpose in 18th century writings
Evaluation of a
theme (choice of 4) in the play Hamlet
Essays on discussion questions
Essay: close reading of a lyric poem by
Essay: the many manifestations of satire
Essay (and Oral): based on the independent research. This paper is designed to explore and define a thesis and an antithesis of the central issue which the student draws from the contemporary culture.
RHETORICAL MODES:
cause and effect
classification
comparison and contrast
delineation
deductive reasoning, example, conclusion
thesis/antithesis, delineation, proof by example
CRITICAL SKILLS:
an introduction to the levels of moral responsibility
memorization of two passages
oral skills: a dramatic reading from the play Hamlet
inferring theme, mood, and literary device from specific events
research: Use the resources of the library and the internet to explore a contemporary issue.
OTHER TOPICS
Students explore a basic model for critical thinking. This is a method for keeping the complexities of the literal world, about which they are reading, distinct from the thematic implications of the reading about which they are thinking.
Students learn about six levels of moral responsibility and deduce exceptions to the rule.
Students will apply a variety of public speaking techniques. These will include dramatic readings from Hamlet, oral presentations about the literature, and debates over a current political issue.
Students study SAT I and SAT II questions and test taking strategies.
11TH
GRADE ENGLISH – ADVANCED PLACEMENT
Students in AP English 11 follow the same curriculum as those in standard English 11 with additional readings, a greater number of writing assignments, and more rigorous expectations for written work.
Additional readings include:
The Story of B
Creating a New Civilization, A & H Toffler
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Thomas Stoppard
The Magical Christian
Students learn to adopt a variety of rhetorical forms to help them solve several writing tasks. Among these are: comparison/ contrast, thesis/ antithesis, cause and effect, classification and division, and analogy.
The class undertakes a study of rhetoric and examines the sundry forms that the essay can assume in preparation for the AP exam. Texts like Current Issues and Enduring Questions will accompany this study.
The AP Exam in Language and Composition is a 3 hour exam taken in the second week of May. The exam consists of a one hour of reading comprehension section which tests the students' capacity to understand the uses of rhetoric to achieve mood, tone, theme and thesis. During the other two hours of the exam, students compose three essays of forty minute durations.
ENGLISH ELECTIVES AVAILABLE TO 10TH-12TH
GRADERS:
SHAKESPEARE ELECTIVE
This course will look at the life, times, and literature of
Macbeth, The
Merchant of
Language devices:
Oxymorons, Types of Irony, Genre study, Scansion
Writing :
Sonnets
Some research on the Elizabethan Period
Expository writing to include
Comparisons
Character study
Plot analysis
Project on relevancy of Shakespeare to our times.
POETRY ELECTIVE
The design of poetry has changed over the centuries more radically than any other written genre. This course will examine the roots of these designs in the past as well as their sundry manifestations in the present. Students will be asked to complete a selection of independent projects including the presentation to the class of a contemporary writer, the production of their own poetry, and the explication of an established poet's works.
Introduction to poetry
The Top 500 poems
Poetry 180
Poetic devices:
Sound and image devices
Rhythmic devices
Shape
Rhyme scheme
Scansion
Writing:
Poetry
Expository essays
Comparative analysis
Two major projects and one public presentation
Study of an established poet
Study of an unestablished poet
Presentation of our own works
CREATIVE WRITING ELECTIVE
In this semester-long workshop, primarily devoted to student writing, participants will produce, read, discuss, and revise stories and poems. Students will strive for high productivity as well as explore various points-of-view, structures and elements of style. Instruction in creative writing will be augmented by readings of essays on the craft of writing, short stories, and poems by modern and contemporary authors.
Selected essays
Selected short stories
Selected poems
Writing:
Students write everyday.
The semester
culminates with two short fiction works (including one realistic fiction piece)
and assorted poems. Final written work
must meet publication standards for submission into a
THE LITERATURE OF WAR
War, as old as humankind, calls forth some of our greatest virtues - courage, loyalty, mercy, humility. It also reveals our capacity for cruelty, vindictiveness, and brutality. Since the beginnings of western literature, war has been richly represented. After reading selected classical and modern literature, each student will use both print and electronic resources to research and plan an individual course of reading and viewing that will reflect her/his particular historical and literary interests. Class work will consist of student presentations based on individual reading/viewing and discussions led by students. Throughout the course, attention will be paid to the representations, verbal and visual, of the wars, large and small, currently destroying the peace of the world.
LITERATURE OF THE SPIRIT
Frederick Buechner has said that "The word spirit has come to mean something pale and shapeless like an unmade bed.” James Baldwin wrote, "It is one of the greatest impulses of mankind to arrive at something higher than a natural state." Perhaps spirit is in T. S. Eliot's "still point in the turning world" or in the formula spirit = breath = life. This course will explore the representation of spirit within the Western tradition with an emphasis on modern and contemporary literature and film. It will test the idea that spirit rightly understood is "a release from the isolation of egotism, a passion for justice and an invincible conviction that hope and joy can be at home in this universe," and it will examine the oxymoron "evil spirit.”
UNITED STATES HISTORY
GOALS
The course, required of all juniors, is devoted to exploring various problems and themes in the broad historical development of the United States. The basic format of the course is a chronological survey concentrating on the development of the United States as a world power, the influence of the frontier on American institutions, and the evolution of the American government will be emphasized. Much of the reading is from a detailed narrative text, supplemented with primary sources and historical monographs. Students are asked to produce a term paper that requires interpretation of some controversial historical issues.
TOPICS
Colonial America and the American Revolution
Forming the colonies into a nation
The
Emergence of political parties
Jeffersonian
The War of 1812
Jacksonian
Westward expansion
Causes of the Civil War
Civil War and Reconstruction
Antebellum
The Progressive Movement
World War I
Great Depression
The New Deal and Franklin Roosevelt
World War II
Emergence of the Cold War and the Korean War
Vietnam War
Impeachment
ADVANCED PLACEMENT UNITED STATES HISTORY
GOALS
The basic format of the course is a chronological
survey concentrating on the development of the
SKILLS
Students:
are asked to read and prepare notes from their textbook. These assignments ensure that they are covering material on their own, train them to find the salient points and write concisely, and, if done properly, provide revision notes for the course.
are regularly assigned classroom essays. The purpose of these is to train students to build written arguments supported by factual material, and to present them in an organized, clear fashion.
during class, are encouraged to view historical events from different perspectives, and to recognize that it is not always possible to determine what the "right" course of action would be.
evaluate primary and secondary sources to help them read critically and recognize both bias and motive, and also serves to stimulate discussion about the creation and "truth" of history.
TOPICS
European exploration and colonization (15th and 16th centuries)
Interaction of Native American and European settlers
Development of American colonial government
Causes and consequences of slavery
The Revolutionary War
Creation of the
The Bill of Rights
Development of Political Parties
Westward Expansion
The Mexican-American War
Antebellum sectionalism and polarization
The Civil War
Reconstruction
Industrialization and the Rise of Big Business
Federal Indian Policy of the late 19th Century
Spanish-American War
The Progressive Movement
World War One
Social and Cultural movements of the 1920's
The Great Depression
The New Deal
World War Two
The Civil Rights Movement
Immigration and migration patterns in the
contemporary
The
influence of religion on
Coursework
generally includes Spanish III, Spanish IV Honors, French III, or French IV
Honors.
FRENCH III
This intermediate French course concludes
The French III course is conducted primarily in French, which continues to emphasize the importance of French as a means of communication. Active class participation is an expectation from all students. By the end of the course students are exposed to French literature and French film. Students do several class presentations in French including one on French films and one on French provinces.
GOALS
To continue to develop the basic language skills of reading, speaking, listening, and writing
To encourage more extensive writing
To use more complex vocabulary and grammatical structures in written and spoken French
To recognize and understand the meaning of unknown words through context clues and cognates
To improve basic pronunciation and intonation skills
To develop an
appreciation for culture of
To develop a sense of confidence in speaking French and to take risks with the language
To begin to think in French, rather than English
COURSE MATERIALS
Allez, viens! - level 3 series
Student text
Practice and Activity Workbook
Vocabulary and Grammar Workbook
In class use of audio CD's, video segments
French in Action video program (episodes 26-40)
"La Parure" by Guy de Maupassant
Films: Cyrano de Bergerac, Les Miserables
TOPICS
Conversation
Renewing old acquaintances
Exchanging information
Expressing indecision
Making recommendations
Ordering and asking for details
Asking for and giving directions
Expressing impatience
Reassuring someone
Expressing enthusiasm and boredom
Favorite comic book characters
Making, accepting, and refusing suggestions
Asking for, granting, and refusing permission
Expressing obligation
Forbidding
Reproaching
Justifying your actions and rejecting other's excuses
Complaining
Pointing out and identifying people and things
Paying and responding to compliments
Asking about and expressing intentions
Expressing conditions and possibilities
Asking about future plans
Expressing wishes and indecision
Requesting information
Writing a formal letter
Giving advice
Making a telephone call
Expressing likes and preferences
Making and accepting apologies
Showing and responding to hospitality
Quarreling
Expressing thanks
Making suppositions
Expressing doubt and certainty
Expressing astonishment
Cautioning someone
Expressing fear
Expressing relief
Asking someone to convey good wishes
Closing a letter
Expressing hopes and wishes
Expressing annoyance
Making comparisons
Agreeing and disagreeing
Expressing indifference
Making requests
Asking for and making judgments
Asking for and making recommendations
Asking about and summarizing a story
Favorite types of movies
Expressing opinions
Summarizing a story
Relating a series of events
Mechanics and Usage
Definite, indefinite, and partitive articles
Question formation
The future with aller
Ne …pas + infinitive
Negative expressions
Question formation with inversion
Using the subjunctive
Si clauses
Intonation
The expression ne…que
Vocabulary
French menu
Sports and activities
Food vocabulary
At the gas station
Adjectives
Household chores
Personal responsibilities
Social responsibilities
Chores
Describing clothing and hairstyles
Fashion and personal style
Clothing vocabulary
Adjectives referring to clothing
Family vocabulary
Future choices and plans
Careers
Planning for a career
Types of job training
Family relationships
Packing for a safari
Travel items
City life
Describing a place
Types of movies
Types of films
Grammar
The imperative
Pronouns and their placement
The interrogative and demonstrative pronouns
The conditional
Irregular subjunctive forms
The comparative
Adjective agreement
The relative pronouns qui, que, and dont
Relative pronouns
Verbs
The passé composé
The imparfait
The verb conduire
The subjunctive
The verb devoir
The causative faire
The future
Reciprocal verbs
The past infinitive
Reflexive verbs
Culture
Traditional regional clothing
Regional specialties
Regional foods
Languages in
Overview of
Swiss work ethic
Overview of
Environmental issues
La minuterie
Clothing and styles
French clothing stores
French sense of fashion
Careers and education in
Overview of
Bargaining in
Values of francophone teenagers
Overview of
Hospitality in
La République Centrafricaine
Rainforest and savannah
African animals
The
Stereotypical impressions of francophone regions
La Tunisie
Traditional life
Traditional and modern life and
dress in
Modernization in francophone countries
Le
Television programming
Multilingual broadcasting in
Overview of
The Canadian film industry
SPANISH III
This intermediate Spanish course concludes
Spanish III is conducted primarily in Spanish, which emphasizes the use of Spanish as a means of communication. The course demands frequent and active participation from students. There are many opportunities to speak Spanish in a variety of contexts.
GOALS
To improve the students ability to speak the language
To communicate ideas effectively in Spanish
To improve the understanding of oral and written Spanish
To foster writing proficiency through directed and creative writing
"To use new vocabulary and grammatical structures in written and spoken Spanish
To recognize and understand the meaning of unknown words through context clues and cognates
To develop a sense of confidence in speaking Spanish and to take risks with the language
To improve basic pronunciation and intonation skills
To understand and develop an appreciation for Spanish and Latin American culture
To begin to think in Spanish, rather than English
To follow a storyline in Spanish (Destinos series) and to be able to discuss and analyze the story
COURSE MATERIALS
¡Ven conmigo! - level 3 series
Student text
Practice and Activity Workbook
Vocabulary and grammar workbook
In class use of audio CD's, video segments
Destinos video series (episodes 19-36)
Films: Don Quijote, Romero, El Norte (varies from year to year)
TOPICS
Conversation
Expressing interest, indifference, and displeasure
Asking for information
Describing yourself and others
Asking for and giving advice
Talking about taking care of yourself
Talking about what has happened
Expressing and supporting a point of view
Using conversational fillers
Talking about future events
Talking about responsibilities
Talking about how food tastes
Talking about unintentional events
Asking for help and requesting favors
Ordering a meal
Giving explanations
Supporting opinions
Expressing qualified agreement and disagreement
Reporting what others say and think
Talking about hopes and wishes
Introducing and changing a topic of conversation
Expressing what needs to be done
Expressing an opinion
Making suggestions and recommendations
Turning down an invitation
Expressing happiness and unhappiness
Comforting someone
Making an apology
Describing an ideal relationship
Expressing doubt and disbelief
Expressing certainty
Talking about possibility and impossibility
Expressing surprise
Talking about your emotional reaction to something
Expressing disagreement
Expressing an assumption
Making hypothetical statements
Talking about accomplishments
Talking about future plans
Expressing cause and effect
Expressing intention and purpose
Grammar
Stem-changing verbs in the present tense
The present tense
The preterit
y and o before vowels
Adjectives
saber vs. conocer
Informal commands
Irregular informal commands
Reflexive verbs
The imperfect
Preterit vs. imperfect
The present perfect
lo que
The future tense
Object pronouns
todavía, ya, alguna vez
Affirmatives and negatives
Comparisons of equality and inequality
vamos a + infinitive
se with unintentional events
por and para
Commands
Pronouns with commands
The suffix -ísimo
Double object pronouns
Impersonal se
The subjunctive to express hopes and wishes
Subjunctive of ir, ser, dar, estar
Verbs followed by an infinitive
Gender of some words ending in -a and -o
The subjunctive after expressions of need
The subjunctive mood with recommendations
Nosotros commands
The use of the infinitive vs. the subjunctive
Formation of the subjunctive
dar, estar, ir, and ser in the present subjunctive
Comparisons
The subjunctive with expressions of feelings
Reflexive verbs for reciprocal actions
The present perfect subjunctive
The subjunctive with the unknown or nonexistent
The present subjunctive of saber
The use of vos
The use of the infinitive vs. the subjunctive
Irregular subjunctive
Past participle form
Affirmative and negative words
Subjunctive forms
The subjunctive after expressions of doubt and disbelief
por in fixed expressions
The subjunctive after impersonal expressions
Uses of se
More on preterit vs. imperfect
The preterit of estar, ponerse, querer, saber and sentirse
The subjunctive with expressions of denial and disagreement
The conditional
The subjunctive
The subjunctive with certain conjunctions
Verbs after prepositions
The subjunctive with para que
The present perfect
Reflexive pronouns
Vocabulary
Question words
Names of sports
Names of hobbies
Words and expressions to describe people
Expressions to tell how you are feeling today
Words and expressions to talk about stress
Expressions to talk about how to relieve stress
Words and expressions related to technology
Words and expressions to talk about changes in the city
Things that may protect the environment
Salads, meat, seafood, fruit, and desserts
Food stores
Repair shops
Words and expressions to talk about war and peace
Words related to the arts
Words and expressions to describe works of art
Words and expressions to talk about friendship
Things that friends might do
Words to talk about television
Words and expressions to talk about information
Sections of a newspaper
Words to describe people's behavior
Words and expressions to talk about prejudice and stereotypes
Words and expressions to talk about achievements and future plans
Words and expressions to talk about your background and ambitions
Culture
Vacation activities of students
Seafood in
Regional
languages of
Work schedules in
Health habits of
people in
Today's technology in the Spanish-speaking world
The role of oil in the Venezuelan economy
The benefits of
technology for
The sobremesa
Getting assistance from emergency service personnel
Foods of
Favorite foods
of typical students from
la "leyenda negra"
Aztec pictographs
The legends "La Llorona" and "La carreta sin bueyes"
The legend of Quetzalcóatl
The legend "El Quetzal"
The murals of Orozco
Murals in
Musical instruments
Mexican pop music star Luis Miguel
Life and works of Frida Kahlo
Cafés
The Organization of American States
The popularity of movies
The popularity of soccer
How Spanish -speaking teenagers solve interpersonal problems
The use of the Internet in
How commercials affect our attitudes and behavior
Newsstands in
Hispanics in the
Impressions
Spanish-speaking people have of the
Spanish language
media in
Hispanics in
How Spanish-speaking students view themselves
FRENCH IV HONORS
This honors level course builds upon the skills and
knowledge acquired by the students during the three years of required language
study in the
French IV is conducted almost exclusively in French. Students' willingness to participate in class discussions is crucial to their success in this course.
GOALS
To continue to build upon a strong vocabulary and grammatical base
To improve students' communicative skills
To encourage students' daily participation in class discussions
To further develop writing proficiency by means of directed exercises, essays on a variety of topics, and a weekly journal
To learn to read new texts more globally and understand new vocabulary through context and cognates
To improve pronunciation skills
To further develop listening comprehension skills
To have students become more confident and aware of their ability to communicate in French, orally or in written form
To continue to expose students to French culture and to the French speak